Initially, the project was only meant to cover the overworld, but that soon expanded to include building interiors such as gyms, caves, the Pokémon Tower, and buildings such as the Power Plant. Images of these final additions have been provided to us by one of the project's organisers, artist Foofarawr, along with some comparison shots with the original Game Boy and GBA maps. We think you'll agree that the work, artistry, and accuracy are staggering.
Let's take a look at a few.
Pallet Town lab
One screen that every single Pokémon trainer will remember is the inside of the Pallet Town lab, the place where you choose your starter Pokémon.
One simple screen has been given so much personality thanks to Nekofresa's reimagining, with paperwork on the floor, a corner desk, and the addition of a bonsai tree and a desk in the top-right corner.
Cerulean Gym
Another familiar locale is the inside of Cerulean Gym, which has been redrawn by Julia Goodish.
Pokémon and trainers now sit around the outside of the gym, watching as the Pokémon Trainer approaches the challenges ahead of them. And we love the Starmie in front of Gym Leader Misty and the little Pikachu on the rubber ring.
Power Plant & Six Island Ruin Valley
The Kanto Power Plant, an iconic location where you capture the legendary Zapdos, shows the electric-type bird bursting out in a cloud of smoke and explosions, as Team Rocket helplessly watch.
Janito Medina work here is impeccable, and the side-by-side split shows just how much more detail has been added while retaining the feel of the OG maps.
Similarly, Zaebucca's redrawing of the Six Island Ruin Valley — one of the Sevii islands added in the GBA remakes of Gen I — really emphasises the 'ancient' aspect that the GBA games didn't quite capture. Covered in ruins and ancient buildings, we're dreaming of a remake in this style, please.
We could wax lyrical about all of the final additions, or the whole map. There's tons of personality in each section — the Pokémon with flowers in their hair, for instance, or the flexing Pikachu and Caterpie in the Viridian Woods. Every single panel will make you smile, whether you're a Pokémon fan or not.
And with 100 artists working together on this, the coherence is staggering. Nothing feels out of place, but every single panel also has its own style that works for that location.
Go and check out the fully completed map on the Kanto Redrawn page, where you can flip between the original map and the artists' reimagining to see just how perfectly everyone has reimagined Kanto. There's also a tour which will show you around the region's various routes, towns, and dungeons.
Today is the perfect day to complete the Kanto Redrawn, too, as it's Pokémon Day! The Pokémon Company is celebrating the 28th anniversary of the franchise and Pokémon Red & Green's launch with a Pokémon Presents broadcast.
